The Champions League's top scorer for the second straight season, with his 17 goals setting a new record for a campaign. His successfully converted penalty in the final against Atletico Madrid was his 51st for Madrid in all competitions. In La Liga, he scored 31 times, making him the Europe's top league scorer alongside Liverpool's Luis Suarez.
At international level, he scored all four of Portugal's goals in the aggregate playoff win over Sweden to secure a place at the World Cup, including a sizzling hat trick in the second leg. To top it all off, he became world player of year in January, regaining the accolade he won for the first time in 2008.
So why the dip in standards at the World Cup? Firstly, and possibly most crucially, he arrived in Brazil hampered by tendinitis and a muscle injury in his left leg. He was seen needing ice packs on his knee during training sessions and concerns lingered about his level of fitness after a largely ineffective performance against Germany in a 4-0 loss.
Fans had to wait until the fifth minute of injury time in Portugal's second match, against the United States, for Ronaldo's first noteworthy contribution at the World Cup. A pinpoint, curling cross allowed Silvestre Varela to head in the equalizer for a 2-2 draw that kept Portugal in the tournament.It proved to be a false dawn.
Ronaldo acknowledged after that match the limitations of his national side."We're probably just an average team," Ronaldo said. "I'd be lying if I said we were a top team."According to FIFA, Portugal is currently the fourth best team in the world. Take Ronaldo out and the Portuguese would drop significantly down those rankings.
A lack of a potent striker, to complement Ronaldo, has been their problem for a decade and there doesn't appear to be a solution.
So, Ronaldo must continue shouldering the burden of his country's national team. But he won't be doing it in Brazil any longer.
Back home in Madrid, he'll simply be watching as Messi -- his nemesis -- looks to guide Argentina to World Cup glory and underscore his name in football's pantheon.
